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Press Release

A LEGEND RETURNS:

Saleen Will Assist with the Ford GT Production

IRVINE, Calif., July 17, 2002 — Saleen, Inc. is immensely pleased and proud to have been selected by Ford as one of the key suppliers to the re-creation of one of the great cars of all time, the production version of the GT40 concept vehicle.

“To have been chosen by Ford as one of four core suppliers to the GT project is a reflection of Ford’s confidence in our niche manufacturing capabilities,” says Saleen, Inc. president, Steve Saleen.

During the past 19 years, Saleen has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to design, engineer, manufacture and market high-performance specialty vehicles working closely with Tier 1 suppliers around the world.

“Our expertise has been primarily focused on high performance,” Saleen continued, “but it’s been diverse as far as the types of vehicles we have produced— everything from Mustang to Explorers to our new S7 supercar.”

Chris Theodore, Ford’s vice president of product development, handpicked the members of the GT Dream Team, including Saleen’s chief engineer Neil Hannermann. “When the Ford GT arrives on the scene, it will set a new standard for supercars,” says Theodore. “And it will teach us valuable lessons about the power of small, nimble product teams.”

The Ford GT project is built for speed—on the road and in the system. The project serves as a lightning rod for consumer excitement and a catalyst for change within the Ford system.

To build the low-volume super, Theodore assembled a team of performance engineering experts, such as Saleen, with the skills to deliver and the knowledge to get things done within Ford while operating outside the established system.

Many of the assembly processes already employed by Saleen to manufacture its Mustangs and S7s will be used for the paint and vehicle assembly responsibilities Saleen will assume for the new Ford GT. The assembly area is where all the various component parts are brought together by certified technicians to create the finished cars.

Saleen brings to the GT project nearly two decades as a high-performance vehicle manufacturer. Based in the creative epicenter and performance capital of the automotive world—Southern California—Saleen has developed a reputation for building enthusiast vehicles and parts that surpass the performance of some of the most expensive and exclusive vehicles in the world. Since its inception in 1984, Saleen has led specialty vehicle manufactures in innovation and quality. Saleen vehicles and parts are built under the same strict governmental guidelines and certification as those of large automotive companies—ensuring safety and emissions compliance as well as quality. As certified with the U.S. Government. Saleen vehicles meet or exceed all applicable EPA/CARB and NHTSA-FMVSS requirements.

Saleen Mustangs are sold only through Saleen-certified Ford dealers and they come with a bumper-to-bumper Saleen warranty. Saleen also has factory pricing and financing.

Steve Saleen began his company with a vision of the perfect performance vehicle that would be appreciated by anyone. Since its inception, Saleen has produced nearly 9,000 vehicles, more than any other specialty manufacturer.

Today Saleen is housed in a 150,000 square foot building in Irvine, Calif. just down the road from Ford’s headquarters for the Premier Auto Group (PAG). The new office space houses the design, engineering and assembly operations, as well as the corporate offices, customer service center and the parts distribution facility. A seven-time Manufactures’ Champion in GT sports car racing, Saleen’s line of products and services includes Saleen/Allen Speedlab, Saleen Performance Parts, Saleen Composites and Coatings and Saleen Engineering and Certification Service.

From the very beginning, racing has been an important component of the Saleen DNA. “The knowledge we gain from motorsports feeds right back into our performance road cars.” says founder Steve Saleen. “Our customers love performance. Our powerful specialty vehicles are a direct translation of superior racing technology adapted to street use.”

For some manufacturers the terms niche manufacturing and mass customization—creating customized products in an efficient mass-production manner—are new. But they aren’t new to Saleen. The company has been employing these concepts from the very beginning. Unlike so-called “tuners.” Saleen’s team follows the same procedures as mega-manufacturers to certify vehicles in compliance with Federal and State regulations.

Saleen’s latest achievement in crafting niche market vehicles involves the use of best practices components along with specifically-engineered ultra-high performance parts to create the S7. Using its expertise in mass-customization, along with outsourced parts and services as needed, Saleen created the S7 for the exotic vehicle market in less than 18 months. And it is expertise such as this that will allow Ford to achieve its goal of debuting the new GT.

The supercar joins Thunderbird, Mustang and the Forty-Nine concept as part of Ford’s “Living Legends” lineup.

Production capacity, manufacturing location, vehicle specifications, performance numbers, pricing and the name of the production vehicle will be revealed at a later date.

Press Release

SALEEN S7Rs FACE UP HILL BATTLE IN RETURN TO 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

LE MANS, June 12, 2002 – After quite possibly the finest inaugural race season ever last year, a trio of Saleen S7Rs find themselves considerable underdogs at this weekend’s classic 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Consider this…The new Saleen S7R set 27 poles and fastest laps and won 19 out of 32 races last year, including the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring where they upset the factory Corvettes. At last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, Saleen S7Rs set the fastest lap in practice, qualifying (with a record run of 3:52.849 nearly 3 seconds faster than previous) and the race and finished a respectable third in spite of an early race accident.

So why the underdog status?

Per the original ACO regulations requiring the construction of 12 cars, Saleen built 18 chassis including seven racecars prior to the American Le Mans (ALMS) season-opening race at Sebring. In a “rules clarification” the week before Sebring, the ACO advised Saleen that 12 “road” cars would be required thereby imposing a 15% restriction in air and 70 kilos of additional weight on each car. Saleen built another chassis before the
ALMS race at Sears Point only to have one of its crash test cars disqualified from the ACO head count. Saleen now clearly understands that it must build one more car before the restrictions are lifted which the company expects to occur shortly after Le Mans.

“We’re certainly disappointed with the recent rulings,” commented Steve Saleen, president of the Southern California-based manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. “With nearly 9,000 Saleen Mustangs built in the past 19 years, we truly believe that we’ve done everything that the ACO has asked including demonstrating the ability to build 12 S7 supercars per year,” Saleen added. “With our racing success of the past 18 months, it’s a shame that our Saleen S7Rs won’t be allowed to compete on a level playing field. But our focus now is on delivering more S7 road cars to our customers which will automatically eliminate the restrictions in the near future.”

Just last Thursday, June 6, Saleen presented the keys to the first S7 road car to Jerry and Kathy Ritzow of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, (see www.RacingPR.com) keeping his promise to deliver the first supercar in the spring of 2002. The proud owners of a Lizstick Red S7 were the very first to purchase the new American supercar after its debut at the Monterey Historic Races in August of 2000. Saleen currently has orders for 50 supercars and plans to begin regular production of one S7 per week at its Irvine, Calif., headquarters this summer.

In spite of the restrictions imposed by the ACO and the “success ballast” that is part of the British GT rules, Saleen S7Rs are seeking to repeat their performance of last year when they won GT Drivers’ Championships in four different series around the globe.

Chris Bingham, the 2001 Grand-Am GTS Drivers’ Champion, continues to rule the Grand-Am Rolex Cup winning three straight races after the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona. In a similar fashion, Graham Nash Motorsports (GNM) is dominating both the British GT and Spanish GT Championships with three Saleen S7Rs. Ian McKellar, the 2001 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) GTS Drivers’ Champion, and Tommy Erdos currently lead the British GT with five victories in the first six races, while Pedro Chaves and Miguel Ramos are on top in the Spanish GT.

For the second year in a row, three Saleen S7Rs are entered in this weekend’s classic twice-around-the-clock race through the French countryside. Although very similar to last year’s line up, the drivers have played some musical chairs. Although Ray Mallock sold his ELMS Championship car to Graham Nash recently, the team has an automatic Le Man entry and will borrow GNM’s car, crew and Portugese duo for the race. Chaves and
Ramos will be joined by England’s Gavin Pickering in the #68 Saleen.

Although the driver line up is very similar to last year, the two factory entries will be replaced by two Saleen S7Rs from Konrad Motorsports. Toni Seiler of Switzerland moves over from the second car to assist the team of Franz Konrad of Austria and Terry Borcheller of Phoenix, Ariz., in the #66 Saleen which placed third on the podium last year. Borcheller won the 2001 ALMS GTS Drivers’ Championship driving with Konrad. Charlie Slater of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and Switzerland’s Walter Brun will be joined Saleen by Rodney Mall of Riverside, Calif. in the second Konrad car (#67).

Press Release

CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION ACCOMPANIES DELIVERY OF FIRST SALEEN S7 ROAD CAR

“A Lady in Red” Makes a High-Performance Debut

IRVINE, Calif., June 6, 2002 – At a champagne reception today at the Saleen World Headquarters, President Steve Saleen handed over the keys to “a Lady in Red,” the first S7 road car, the beautiful mid-engine, exotic supercar produced by this American auto maker, to owners Jerry and Kathy Ritzow.

For the past year the S7 has been burning up the road circuits of America and Europe, winning four different GT Championships during 2001, a remarkable feat for an all-new car. And while the S7 continues its winning ways in 2002, and is set for a repeat appearance at the most prestigious endurance race in the world, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it placed third in class last year, the key ceremony is the fulfillment of a promise made by Steve Saleen at the very beginning of the S7 project.

“We will race the S7,” Saleen said, “because much of what we have learned about how to make a better performing Mustang for the street came from our racing. We will apply similar lessons from the S7 in competition to the street version we will produce.”

Manufacturing and marketing a fully DOT and NHTSA certified automobile isn’t easy and this is especially true of a small manufacturer like Saleen. But Saleen has been doing just this with his high-performance Mustangs since 1994.

“Some people don’t realize, Steve continued, “that the Mustangs we sell are certified for sale in all 50 states. That’s why the delivery of this car to Jerry and Kathy is such an important step for this company. No one else in America has done what we have done: Start with an initial concept and build a ground-up fully certified mid-engine supercar.”

“Besides being drop-dead gorgeous and offering incredible performance, we believed in Steve’s commitment to the S7 by being the first to put down a $100,000 deposit with our S7 dealer, Motorcars International,” said Jerry Ritzow. He and his wife live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where Jerry founded an aquarium manufacturing company in 1967, which has grown to be the largest in the world.

Jerry has always been interested in fast cars, but during the last 10 years the interest has turned into a serious hobby. “Kathy and I both enjoy cool cars,” Jerry says, “and we’ve added a number of them to our collection over the last several years.”

In addition, Jerry has attended a number of racing schools including Buck Baker for stock car racing, Skip Barber for road racing and the Frank Hawley drag racing school.

Obviously, the first of many S7 to come has been handed over to four very enthusiastic and competent hands.

Photo available at http://racingpr.com using the User Name “Saleen” and the Password “Saleen”

Press Release

SALEEN S7R’s WIN SEVEN OUT OF TEN RACES THIS SEASON

Konrad Motorsports Faces Up Hill Battle At Sears Point

SONOMA, Calif., May 16, 2002 — While the Park Place Racing S7R of 2001 Grand-Am GTS Champion Chris Bingham has scored three straight victories in the Grand-Am Rolex Cup and the Saleen S7R of Graham Nash Motorsports has won three out of four races in the British and Spanish GT Championships, the Konrad Motorsports team is still looking for that elusive first win in the 2002 American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

Team owner, Franz Konrad, and co-driver, Terry Borcheller, last year’s ALMS GTS Drivers’ Champion, hope this weekend’s 2 hour 45 minute Grand Prix of Sonoma, presented by Foster’s Lager will be the time and the place for their first top podium finish of the year. The challenging 12-turn 2.52-mile up-and-down-hill event on the Sears Point circuit is the second ALMS round of the season, following the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.

Konrad Motorsports finished 3rd at the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona (a Grand-Am Rolex Cup race) and 2nd to the factory Corvette at Sebring. This latter podium finish was in spite of penalties assessed by the ACO that resulted in a 15% reduction in airflow to the engine, along with having to add 70 kilos (150+ lb) of lead to the car because of confusion over how many S7s have been produced.

Borcheller and Konrad are out to avenge their 3rd-place finish last year at Sears behind the Corvette Racing team, which will be back to defend their title with two cars, including the Corvette of Ron Fellows and Johnny O’Connell winner of last year’s GTS class at Sears. Last year Terry Borcheller put the Saleen on the pole and set fastest race lap, but the overall GTS win eluded the Konrad team when a problem occurred with its Goodyear tires. The team has switched to Pirelli tires this year, but unfortunately will have to race with a 10% restriction and 50 kilos of weight at Sears Point.

“We were really quick at Sears last year; the very first time an S7R has raced at that rack,” commented Borcheller. “Poles and fastest race laps are certainly satisfying, but this year Franz and I would prefer to put our Saleen in victory circle more often.”

Not that the Konrad team expects an easy time of it. Besides the Corvette factory racing team, the Konrad/Borcheller duo will face stiff competition from a GTS field that also includes Dodge Viper GTS-Rs and a newcomer to the ALMS, the Ferrari 550 Maranello.

ALMS cars will test the circuit for the first time on Friday, May 17, with official practice and qualifying to be held on Saturday, May 18. The race will be televised live by the SPEED Channel beginning at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 19. Live coverage by the American Le Mans
Series Radio Web can be heard online at www.imsaracing.net beginning at noon with a one-hour pre-race show. ALMS Radio Web also will have two hours of coverage of qualifying for the Sears Point race with several drivers as special quests. The broadcast will start at 5 p.m. on Saturday May 18. Listeners will be able to email questions for the drivers to answer. The names of the drivers and the email address will be listed on the web site.

With four Saleen customer teams entered in four series around the world last year, the Saleen S7R customer teams set 27 poles and fastest laps and won 19 out of 32 races this season — quite possibly the finest inaugural race season for any marque in history. And, hopefully, more in store for 2002.

Saleen was crowned the SCCA World Challenge Champions in 1996-1998, while an ex-Le Mans Saleen SR won the Spanish FIA GT in 1999. In 2000, Saleen swept the Grand-Am GTO Championships winning the Team, Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles. Last season’s remarkable success with the S7R makes this the sixth straight GTS Manufacturers’ Championship for Saleen Motorsports — and looking for lucky #7!

Press Release

SALEEN TO “FOCUS” ON THE FUTURE VIA EXPANDED PERFORMANCE PRODUCT LINE

IRVINE, Calif., April 17, 2002 – The sparkling yellow Focus inside Saleen’s massive production facility looks almost out of place amongst the backdrop of colorful S281 and S7 production cars sitting next to it. At once both stylish and aggressive, the recently completed coupe perfectly reflects the company’s increased concentration on the future direction of its Saleen aftermarket sales division.

Building upon Saleen’s legacy for creating vehicles with high performance and functional style, the company has announced the availability of the first group of performance parts for the Focus ZX3 coupe. Company engineers and stylists have worked their unique Saleen magic on an extensive line of new products for the popular Ford Focus. In keeping with Saleen’s motorsports heritage, many of the new performance offerings are designed to enhance power and handling, as well as overall vehicle appearance.

The Saleen-prepared Focus includes a diverse assortment of new Saleen products including the “Series 3” aerodynamics package, a complete Racecraft suspension kit featuring adjustable coil-over shocks and a front strut tower brace, a rich leather Saleen interior, a custom performance exhaust, high-performance Pirelli P Zero tires, and 18 x 7-inch alloy wheels, along with a Saleen-designed graphics package.

“We are very proud of our new Focus aftermarket parts program,” explained Steve Saleen, president, Saleen Inc. “It is our objective to provide only the finest in parts and customer service to the discriminating enthusiast. This program is designed to be a very strategic, longterm project that retains our passion for performance. After almost 20 years of producing some of the finest specialty vehicles on the market, it is time to strategically and aggressively grow the Saleen brand to a larger audience.”

The Saleen Focus program introduces a wide variety of new part numbers to the company’s performance line-up. The company will capitalize on a variety of its well established, in-house design and manufacturing capabilities to develop an extensive line of Saleen components including aerodynamics, suspensions, engines, drivelines, brakes, interiors, graphics, merchandising and competition parts. Saleen “PowerFlash” engine kits, Saleen “Series II” superchargers and the company’s impressive “MaxGrip” limited-slip differentials are also slated to be part of the overall product mix.

Saleen Parts Division

Since August of 2000, Saleen’s newly revitalized performance parts division has sustained high double-digit growth. A comprehensive e-commerce web site (www.saleen.com) and an upscale catalog were introduced last year.

A cornerstone of the new Saleen business model is a dedication to the entrepreneurial spirit that is considered vital to successfully reaching the aftermarket consumer. Thanks to its history of providing high-performance enthusiasts with passionate and exciting specialty vehicles, Saleen understands the importance of actively interacting with its target audience.

“Our objective with Saleen’s aftermarket parts division is really very simple,” explains John Dillon, VP and general manager of the division. “We want to offer the Saleen consumer experience to a broader range of car enthusiasts like ourselves. This will take some very active brand management, staying closely attuned to the market and bringing new products to our customers in a timely fashion. Most importantly, we always have to remember the things that have made the Saleen name so vibrant for nearly two decades.”

For ordering information, pricing and availability, please call 800-888-8945 or visit the Saleen web site (www.saleen.com).

Automotive News

STREET SALEENS ON TRACK

By: N.A. on April 1, 2002
Original Article: AUTOWEEK, VOL. 52, ISSUE 14

Saleen says it will have no trouble producing 12 road-going (as opposed to racetrack-going) S7s required by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest for homologation in time to race without weight and intake penalties May 19 at Sears Point.

Saleen says it has 16 S7s in existence now, all of which could be converted to “road cars” to meet ACO rules requiring manufacturers to produce at least 12 road cars to qualify for Le Mans. Because ALMS uses the same rules as ACO, S7Rs in the Sebring ALMS race ran with 70 kilograms (154 pounds) of ballast and 15 percent smaller engine air restrictors.

Saleen claims the first S7s will be in customer hands before the press launch of the road cars May 10. The company says all U.S. government certifications are currently complete on the car except EPA emissions, which will be done in April.

Motorsports News

LATE RACING NEWS

By: N.A. on March 25, 2002
Original Article: AUTOWEEK, VOL. 52, ISSUE 13

Four F1 races on ABC
ABC Sports will televise four Formula One races this season. The network will televise the Grand Prix of Monaco on May 26, the Grand Prix of Canada on June 9, the Grand Prix of Italy on Sept. 14 and the U.S. Grand Prix on Sept. 29. The broadcasts from Canada and Indianapolis will be live, with Monaco shown at 3:30 p.m. Eastern and Italy at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Saleen penalized
The Saleen S7R was hit by a big performance penalty just before the opening round of the American Le Mans Series (page 41). The four GTS-class cars entered in the Sebring 12-hour were forced to run with 70kg of ballast and 15 percent smaller engine air restrictors. The penalties were applied because the Saleen failed to meet new eligibility regulations introduced over the winter. The California supercar builder received a total of three penalties, the biggest for failing to build the prerequisite number of road cars. Saleen headed into the race believing it could count three race S7Rs toward the 12-car production minimum. A rule clarification before the race meant the nine road cars in production were not enough. The extra weight and reduction in engine power meant the best of the Saleens qualified nearly 3.5 seconds behind the pole-winning Chevrolet Corvette C5-R. Tommy Erdos, who set the time in the Graham Nash Motorsport entry, said, “This is affecting us immensely. The weight hits us in the corners and straight-line speed is way down.” Both Saleen and Le Mans are confident the performance restrictions will be removed as the company meets the rules. Gerard Gaschet, one of the Le Mans rules bosses, said, “Step by step the penalties will disappear.”

Laguna revamp
Remember the quaint, mostly flat paddock at Laguna Seca? It’s history. By the time you read this, construction crews will be pouring concrete on the first new garages, hospitality suites and fancy restrooms as part of Laguna’s $15 million improvement project. Ten double-car garages and 12 hospitality suites along with numerous other improvements will be in place by the end of the 2002 race season. Twenty double garages and 29 hospitality suites will be in place by the end of the 2003 season. Further upgrades are planned beyond that. The CART, Superbike, Monterey Historics and Sports Car events will go on as planned. See www.laguna-seca.com for more.

Long signs with Manor
Patrick Long, the young American driver who finished second in last year’s British Formula Ford title chase, has signed with the powerful Manor Motorsports team for the 2002 British Formula Renault championship. Manor Motorsports has a strong record of success in both Formula Renault and Formula 3. Finn Kimi Raikkonen, now driving for McLaren in F1, captured the 2000 British Formula Renault championship in a Manor-prepared car. Raikkonen moved straight from Formula Renault to F1. Long ran British Formula Ford last year, winning three races and losing the championship at the last race. His runner-up position was the highest ever by an American in the class. Thirteen Formula Renault rounds will be held at 11 races. The 2002 season kicks off April 1 at Brands Hatch.

Motorsports News

FELLOWS’ WIN BREAKS BAD LUCK SPELL AT SEBRING

By: RICK MATSUMOTO on March 17,2002
Original Article: TORONTO STAR (CANADA)

Ron Fellows has finally captured the elusive 12 Hours of Sebring.

The Mississauga driver brought the Corvette C5-R across the finish line at Florida’s 3.7-mile Sebring International Raceway last night at the head of the GTS class.

The victory came in the fourth attempt by Fellows and Corvette Racing to win the Sebring race, which along with the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Daytona, is considered one of the three major endurance events of world sports car racing.

“Finally, we finally did it,” said a relieved Fellows on the victory podium.

While Fellows, who had put the Corvette on the pole in qualifying, started and finished the race, he shared the driving with long-time co-driver Johnny O’Connell and newcomer Oliver Gavin.

Fellows’ car finished ninth overall, after covering 317 laps, 29 laps behind the winning Audi.

Interestingly, Gavin was one of the three drivers in the Saleen Mustang that upset Fellows and Corvette in last year’s Sebring race. This year, the Saleen S7R placed second with 309 laps.

Fellows had been the surprise overall winner of the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona a month earlier and had been the heavy favourite to win at Sebring. However, major mechanical problems allowed the Saleen to take the checkered flag in the GTS class.

This year Corvette Racing decided to pass up the Daytona race and concentrate its efforts on producing a reliable, as well as quicker, car for Sebring.

Audi, with lead driver Johnny Herbert driving the last hour, won the Prototype 900 class and the overall title for the third consecutive year.

PENSKE TOPS IRL: Helio Castroneves, a pilot for the IRL-interloper Marlboro Team Penske, captured pole position for today’s 200-lapper at Phoenix International Raceway by turning in a blistering lap of 20.0124 seconds around the one-mile oval – a speed of 179.888 m.p.h.

Castroneves nipped defending race winner Sam Hornish Jr. by 0.017 of a second to capture his first IRL pole.

Automotive News

GT40 TO SALEEN?

By: N.A. on March 11, 2002
Original Article: AUTOWEEK, VOL. 52, ISSUE 10

One of the players in the sweepstakes to build Ford’s GT40 is Steve Saleen, maker of GTS-class S7R race cars whose company is currently hustling to get the street-legal S7 supercar to customers this month.

Sources say Saleen is among the companies under consideration for the job to produce the limitedproduction $100,000 car, but nothing is final. Also getting lots of consideration is Roush Industries, which played a part in building the retro-styled, rear-engined 500-hp GT40 show car revealed at the Detroit auto show (AW, Jan. 14).

Press Release

BARRETT-JACKSON CLASSIC CAR AUCTION DEFIES ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTIES WITH $26.9 MILLION IN SALES

The Classic Car Market Barometer Sets Eight World Records

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ — There was little evidence of a recession in Scottsdale, Arizona, this past weekend as a record number of car collectors and enthusiasts from around the globe descended upon the Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction, presented by Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep.

An unrivaled selection of historic racecars, award-winning street rods and muscle cars, European sports cars, and American classics were sold on the auction block at the 31st annual edition of what is internationally recognized as the barometer of the industry, and tagged as “The World’s Greatest Classic Car Auction.”

According to Barrett-Jackson President Craig Jackson, this year’s sale clearly demonstrated it was a seller’s market. “Our bidders showed us they are prepared to pay top, and in some cases world record prices, for the very best quality cars,” said Jackson.

Throughout the four-day auction, capacity crowds watched as prices paid on the auction podium skyrocketed and bidders dueled it out over an unparalleled selection of collector cars. “This year’s auction saw top prices paid in nearly all categories of cars,” commented Jackson. “We continued to realize unprecedented prices for high quality hot-rods, and also exceeded a number of previously established world record prices for certain other car models,” continued Jackson.

Record prices were achieved for a 1956 Ford Thunderbird at $109,080; a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS-6 convertible at $172,800; a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette L-78 Roadster at $124,200; and a 1958 Chevrolet Impala Convertible at $86,400. An award-winning 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster known as “Black Jack” topped the extensive list of significant hot rod sales with an unmatched price of $172,800.

Of the nearly 800 cars, and an extensive collection of racing memorabilia consigned to the auction, an impressive 86% of the lots were sold, pushing total sales volume to an unprecedented $26.9 million. The results exceeded last year’s record-breaking auction.

Legends from the motor racing world including Bobby Unser, Danny Sullivan and Parnelli Jones, together with Arizona Diamondback’s Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson, joined television stars Tim Allen and Mark Harmon at Barrett-Jackson as record prices were achieved on the auction block. Baseball Hall of Fame’s Reggie Jackson, together with Cecil “Big Daddy” Fielder were both on the auction platform when avid collectors snatched up each of their rare Chevrolet Camaros. The $48,600 paid for Fielder’s 1969 Camaro COPO was eclipsed by “Mr. October’s” 1967 Camaro COPO that commanded $78,840. A record price was also paid for another example of the soon-to-be-discontinued Camaro, when a collector paid $118,800 for a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS Yenko.

The top price paid on the auction block went to the 2000 Saleen S7 Factory Prototype at $432,000, followed by a 1966 Ford GT40 used in the MGM movie “Grand Prix,” at $405,000.

All one hundred and fifty lots from the Race Rock Las Vegas restaurant, a one-of-a-kind automotive collection of race cars and rare racing memorabilia from every form of motorsport, brought over $520,000.

A one-of-a-kind Dodge “American Spirit” Viper Roadster was auctioned at No Reserve for $80,000 with all net proceeds going to benefit the DaimlerChrysler Help the Children Fund. This fund was established to help the children of victims from the events of September 11th.

The Barrett-Jackson auction is an automotive lifestyle event that continues to be one of the most influential worldwide drawing Hollywood celebrities, sports stars, legendary race car drivers, and serious collectors. The auction was also televised live for two days on the Speedvision / Speed Channel television network.

Each year the Barrett-Jackson Auction reaffirms its leadership position in the collector car market by elevating consignment standards, breaking annual records, and serving as the barometer for market trends. A listing of the sales prices can be found at http://www.barrett-jackson.com/auctionresults/byevent.asp and images of the cars sold at the Scottsdale auction can be found on the Barrett-Jackson website at www.barrett-jackson.com . The 32nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction is scheduled for January 15th – 19th, 2003.

For further information, please contact: Timothy McGrane of Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, +1-480-421-6694, ext. 118, emedia@barrett-jackson.com.

SOURCE Barrett-Jackson Auction Company